Sorting machine



Aprll 19, 1927. E' VOSBURGH somme MACHINE Filed May 6, 192.5 5 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY i 1 1927. prl 9, E VDSBURGH 1,625,438

YSORTING MACHINE l Filed May e, 1925 5 sheets-sheet a lNvENToR v 1,62 ,4v Apnl 19, 1927. E. VOSBURGH 5 38 SORTING' MCHLNE Filed May 6 1325 l 5 Sheets-Sheet. 3

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iI' im l LNVENTOR W 1/ v ATroRNEY April 19, 1927.

E. VQSBURGH SORTING MACHINE Filed May 6L 1,925 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 2 ENVENTO` n vATTORNEY 1,625g4 8 Apr-1l 19, 1927. E' VOSBURGH 3 SORTING MACHINE v Filed May 6, 192,5 5 Shees-Sheet 5 KNVENTOR Patented Apr, 19, 1.927.

j reza/ias ermee.

EDWARD VOSBU'RGH, OF PASSAIC,`NEWYJERSEY.

SORTING MACHINE.

Application led May 6, 1925.

This invention relates to kmachines for grading teasels and other articles and has for its object to accurately and quickly separate objects according to both length and diameter' without danger of breaking ory damaging them.

According to this invention, objects to be sorted according to length and diameter are :ted to aconveyor with their corresponding axes all in the same direction, and automatically discharged from the conveyor into some one of several y associated receiving means by mechanism responsive to one dimension of the object carried on the conveyor. plurality of other conveyors associated with said first mentioned conveyor and said receiving means each automatically receive objects of a particular size from the lirst conveyor` and tur-ther grade them by discharging them at a particular' location according to the second dimension. In this manner, objects such as teasels are automatically graded as to length and diameter vand sorted into corresponding bins, according to the number ot' sizes desired.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a side view of. the top portion of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2f1L of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the receptacles;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of one ot' the same receptacles when inverted;

Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the several conveyors in the lower portion of the machine Fig. 6v is a section on the line (a-6 of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a top vplan of general arrangement ot' conveyors.

The supply hopper 10 supported above the machine by the viframe 11 is provided with a V-shaped bottom, one of the sides of which is pivoted as indicated to be opened and allowonc of the teasels or other objects being sorted to tall into the receptacle 15. The hopper 10 is of suiiiciently great width to cause the teasels to lie ontheir sides be`- .tween theconvergingportions ot' the bottom of theV hopper. A projection 13 on the movable side 12 of the hopper isv adapted to beengaged by la projection 14; ony the receptaclel in opening and a spring is used to close the side 12\after the receptacle 15, mounted 'on the endless conveyor 19, has

Serial N0, 28,373.

passed from under 'the hopperf lThere are a number of receptacles 15 mounted on the conveyor 19 as indicated in Fig. 1, and each comprises inclined sides 16 and ends 17 and 18, the former ot which isixed and the latter movable, being pressed inwardly by the action of the spring 21. .The spring 21 is a relatively light compression spring in order that a teasel, when clamped between the ends of the receptacle, acting as yieldable clamping jaws, may not be injured but isv grippedrmly enough to preventits falling out when the receptacle is inverted by .passing' over one ot 'the wheels 20 over which the conveyor moves. rIhe end 18 of the receptacle is provided with a V-shaped notch as indicated in Fig. 1 for the purpose of allowing the stem of a teasel to project through as shown in dotted lines in the lower part ot Fig. 2 where the teasel is indicated by the numeral 26. 'In order to move the end 18 against the action of spring 2l for the purpose of receiving a teasel rfrom the hopper 10, a cam 22 is provided kof the general shape indicated in Fig. 3, and located to the right of the hopper in Fig. 1 between the guide rails or track of the support 25 sothat a roller 23 attached to the end 18 is engaged by the cam and `separates the clamping jaws or receptacle ends ar enough to allow the longestcsizeot teasel to be receivedby the receptacle. After passing hopper 10, the cam 22 is preferably oppositely tapered to allow thereceptacle end 18 to gradually close upon the ends of the teasle, and hold it clamped endwise between theends 17 and 18. The support 25Aprevents sagging of either the upper or lower portions ot the conveyor. Between lthe lower supporting rails is a second cam 27 having stepped portions arranged so that when one of these stepped portions shown in Fig. ft isv engaged by the roller 23 -the receptacle end 18 will be released andthe teasle 2G will tall into a hopper 28. There are a number ot hoppers 28, 29, etc., beneath the conveyor and in the preferred embodiment the cam 27 is so shaped as to grade teasles into size lengths diiiering from .one

and another by a quarter ot an inch,.the

first step; portion of the cam 27 beingy located to release the receptacle end18 when vthe length ot teasel is from an inchatoan inch and a quarter. The next size releasedareA lengths from Aan inch and ,a quarterto van inch and a half. Length sizes diering a quarter ot an inch are also separated up to two and one-hallf inches in length, then troni two and one-habt to three inches, and the last or largest size is :l'or teasels over three inches in length. ritter the teasels have been released and discharged from the receptacles l5 they are carried over the wheel Qt) by the conveyor and into position lor again receiving another teasel, each receptacle holding only one teasel at a tiine.

The teasels already graded in length sine and contained within the heppers QQ, 29, etc. are next graded in width or diameter, and tor this purpose the ends titl ot each hopper are smaller in width and thickness than the length of the teasel so that due to the ta pered sides of the hoppers Q8, Q9, etc., the teasel is positioned axially or endwise in the lower end 30. The bottoni 3l is movable, aboutthe pivot 32 and has sullicient clean ance to be opened by proj action 33 on the receptacle 231i and allow the teasel to :fall endwise into the receptacle Sill where it will be yieldably clamped with its sides between the jaws and sides 35 or 3G, the former ot which is fixed and the latter yieldably movable under the influence ol the spring` in a manner euliistantially siinilar to 'the n'iovenient oit receptacle end 18 previously described. .a cani 3E) actuates a roller :S8 beneath the movable side 36 and separates the sides of' the receptacle a maximum ainount just heitere the receptacle passes beneath the hopper end 30. The cani 39 is preferably shaped to pei-init the clampingv jaws 35 and 36 to gradually close or be moved together if a teasel O't sinall diaineter is received or if no teasel is dropped, as this will prevent damage to the teasel and needless vibration in the machine. Theri are. a nuniber ot conveyors Lll each carrying` a number oi' receptacles 3l and the travel oi conveyors Llfl is preferably at right angles to the travel ot the conveyor 'lll so that a conveyor ell is be neath each o'l the. hoppers 28, ist), etc., tor the purpose of grading each sine length ot teasel mrcordiiig` to its diaineter. lhnieath the support Ll-l ot the conveyor f -l-l is another cani Llll stepped to engage roller :iti and inove the side Ilo an eighth o't an inch as each bin (not shown) is passed over, whereby the teasels of a given lcngtl are .sorted in dianieter to sizes dillering by an eighth ot an inch7 there being preferably at least tour such bins l tor dillerentdiameters ol" cach length size.

Among the advantages ot this ii'ivenlion may be ineiit-ioned its ability to sort teasels and other objects according to more than one dimension, the inachine illustrated being capable ot grading teasels to both length and diameter, so that the purchaser inay be sure .oit receiving` teasels oil" the size ordered and best adapted for use in his machine. The use ol clamping jaws1 tor yieldably retaining a teasel within the receptacle enables articles oi? ditl'erent Sine. to be carried and dropped over the appropriate bin where its size is required. 'lhe teasels iuay be 'ted into the supply hopper l() by hand or otherwise and the operation oiZA the machine is automatic iti-oni the tinic the teasel is removed :troni the hopper l0 until dumped into the particular bin where articles ot' its length and diameter belong. l`he machine is rapid, beine capable oit handling niany tinies the nun'ilzier oil teasels that could be g 'aded inauually and by guess werlt. Since troni about lo() to i253 teasels are the equivalent oil` a pound in weight, itl will be seen that each article is relatively light so that the springs for controlling the clamping jaws of each receptacle need only be relatively light. It no teasel is received by a receptacle its clan'iping jaws coine together gradually without ja' and are opened gradually by the stepped cani beneath the conveyor when the receptacles are inverted and the operation and control ot the yieldable jaws is automatic whether an object; be Contained in the recelitacle or not. The spoed o't the conveyor ll and the spacing` olf the receptacles l-l thereon is preferably so related to the speed ot' the conveyor l) and the spacing` olf its receptacles lo that a receptacle 34k passes under each hopper 2d. 2S). etc. each tinie a receptacle is. passed over the top ot' hojipersl 215.22), ete. `:o that tl'iere will he no likelihood olf two te: sels Vtrilling into a` single hopper Lt, ill), etc.7 nor ol two teaacls falling into one receptacle Ill.

lllhile thisl machine in described particulai-ly in its application l'or grading teasels, it will be understood that other objects are also adapted lo he graded in both length and thickness by this niarhine and it other ol1- jects are handled the dimensions ol the niachine. its receptacles.` canta.; hoppers, ete. and their location, may need to be varied to suit the particular object. graded. 'lVhile the machine has been described in connec tion with the grading ot objects` accortfling` to only two dimensions? it will he understood that by carryingl forward the idea and providing` additional conveyors and receptacles below each ot the bins into which the object-S are linally placed hy the machine illus trated. that; articles can be graded according to their size in all three dimensions. The reason objectsl are gratfled according` to only two dimensions in the embodiment olf the invention illustrated is because teasels are olf a. generally cylindrical shape and there` 'fore need sorting only as to length and diam* eter, the depth and thickness being the saine as the diameter.

l claim:

l. In a sort-ing machine the combination with an endless conveyor, of supporting tracks therefor, clamping jaws on said eonveyor, said jaws comprising fiXed and movable jaw members, means tending to close each pair of jaws, a projection on each movable jaw member extending to adjacent said l supporting tracks, and means carried on said tracks for cooperation with said projections for opening said jaws in receiving, and for releasing said jaws in discharging, an object at the desired point of travel of the conveyor.

2. In a sorting machine the combination with yieldable means for individually clamping and conveying objects to places for graded discharge, of means for releasing said clamping means and discharging objects from said conveyor at locations according to the size of the object betwee said clamping means, means for separatelyxieeding objects discharged from the irst conveyor to some one of a plurality of second conveyors, means on each of said second conveyors for yieldably clamping objects along another dimension from that by which they were clamped in the first conveyor, and means for releasing said objects from said second conveyors according to the size of said other dimension.

3. In a sorting machine, an endless conveyor having receptacles thereon for the articles to be graded, means for discharging said articles from said conveyor at spaced points in the conveyor travel according to one dimension of the articles, a plurality of second conveyors, means for supplying articles to the second conveyors from the first, and means for discharging said articles at spaced points in the travel of said second conveyors according to a second dimension of said articles. e

4. In a sorting machine, a grading conveyor adapted to deliver articles into a plurality of fixed hoppers, an endless conveyor associated with each of said hoppers, a receptacle on each of said endless conveyors, means on said receptacles for causing one of said hoppers to discharge into said receptacle, and gaging means associated with said receptacle.y

In a sorting machine, a grading conveyor adapted to deliver articles to a plurality of fixed hoppers, an endless conveyor associated with `each of said hoppers, a receptacle carried by each of said conveyors, means on said receptacle for causing one of said hoppers to discharge into said receptacle, means in said receptacle for clamping the sides of cylindrical articles to be sorted, and means for releasing said clamping means when the receptacle has moved to the lower run of the conveyor, said last mentioned means being responsive to the diameter of said articles.

6. A sorting machine comprising an endless conveyor, a receptacle carried thereby and adapted to receive and position the articles to be sorted, clamping means in said receptacle, a plurality of similar conveyors associated with said irst mentioned conveyor, means for releasing said clamping means while the receptacle is moving along the lower run of saidfirst mentioned conveyor, said releasing means being responsive to the length of said articles, and grading means associated with each of said second mentioned conveyors for separating the articles according to another dimension.

7. In a sorting machine, the combination with an endless conveyor, of a supporting track therefor, a pair of clamping jaws carried by said conveyor, a spring adapted to urge one of said jaws toward the other, a roller associated with one of the jaws and eX- tending to adjacent said supporting track, and cams carried by said track and cooperating with said roller for opening the jaws in receiving, and for releasing the jaws in discharging, an article at the desired point of travel of the conveyor.

8. A sorting machine for cylindrical articles, comprising an endless conveyor, clamping means carried by said conveyor, means for causing said clamping means to engage the ends of said articles, means for releasing said clamping means while the same is moving` along the lower run of the conveyor, said releasing means being responsive to the length of the article, and means for further grading the article according to diameter after it is released by the clamping means, said last mentioned means comprising a plurality of hoppers positioned to receive the articles released from said clamping means, and an endless conveyor positioned adjacent each of said hoppers.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 5th day of May A. D. 1925.

EDWARD VOSBURGH. 

